Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy’s Hogtown memories

BOSTON — There aren’t many Ontario-born Bruins — it starts and ends with Brampton’s Rick Nash — but coach Bruce Cassidy is an Ottawa native quite familiar with Toronto hockey history. He played at the Gardens many times with Brian Kilrea’s 67s against the junior Marlies and briefly later as a Chicago Blackhawks defenceman.

“It was a great environment,” Cassidy said Sunday as the Bruins packed for Games 3 and 4. “In junior, we used to win there all the time, we had good teams, that was always fun.

“As a kid, playing in a rink that an NHL team played in … sometimes you’d get in there and play in the afternoon after the (Leaf)morning skates. That was always interesting for an 18-year old with a great mullet.”

Nash will probably have some ticket challenges for his clan.

“I grew up a die-hard Leafs fan so it’s always fun to go back home and play against them with all your family and friends there.”